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Federal Consumer Information Center Understanding Prostate Federal Consumer Information Center - Understanding Prostate Changes: A Health Guide for All Men
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Table of Contents and Introduction Disorders of the Prostate and I. Prostatitis

The Prostate

The anatomy of the male body showing the kidneys, ureters, bladder, prostate gland, urethra, and testes

Differences between a normal prostate and a prostate with BPH

The prostate gland, a key part of the male reproductive system, is linked closely with the urinary system. It is a small gland that secretes much of the liquid portion of semen, the milky fluid that transports sperm through the penis when a man ejaculates.

The prostate is located just beneath the bladder, where urine is stored, and in front of the rectum. It encircles, like a donut, a section of the urethra. The urethra is the tube that carries urine front the bladder out through the penis. During ejaculation, semen is secreted by the prostate through small pores in the urethra's walls.

The prostate is made up of three lobes encased in an outer covering, or capsule. It is flanked on either side by the seminal vesicles, a pair of pouch-like glands that contribute secretions to the semen. Next to the seminal vesicles run the two vas deferens, tubes that carry sperm from the testicles. The testicles, in addition to manufacturing sperm, also produce testosterone, a male sex hormone that controls the prostate's growth and function.

Table of Contents and Introduction Disorders of the Prostate and I. Prostatitis
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